General Manager - Operations

General Manager – Operations

Tararua Breeding Centre

Our Business

The Tararua Breeding Centre is part of Totally Vets Limited, a dynamic veterinary company providing services and products across the Manawatū, Levin, Horowhenua, Tararua and Taumarunui regions for companion animals, equine and production animals.

Our business thrives on talented people providing superior care and advice for the health, wellbeing and performance of animals. We are committed to achieving Healthy Animals, Healthy People, Healthy Communities. When you join us, you become part of that effort.

About Woodville

Woodville sits at the gateway to the Tararua District, offering a relaxed rural lifestyle with easy access to Palmerston North, Hawke’s Bay and the wider Manawatū. With strong farming roots, a close-knit community and easy access to outdoor pursuits, Woodville is an ideal place to balance a rewarding career with quality of life.

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced and commercially minded General Manager – Operations to lead the day-to-day operations and support the continued growth of the Tararua Breeding Centre.

The Tararua Breeding Centre specialises in ruminant semen and embryo collection, processing, storage and dispatch. Operating across laboratory and farm environments, the centre works to high regulatory and quality standards while delivering reliable, technically focused services to its clients

Reporting to the Regional Director and working closely with the centre’s advisory committee and senior technical veterinarian, you will be responsible for delivering the centre’s agreed operational and financial objectives. This includes leading the team, overseeing daily operations, managing budgets and compliance, strengthening client relationships and supporting business-development, expansion and improvement projects.

This is a hands-on senior leadership role requiring someone who can balance strategic thinking with practical operational oversight. You will build a positive, accountable culture while ensuring the centre consistently delivers high-quality, customer-focused and commercially sustainable services.

Key Responsibilities Include

• Leading, supporting and developing the centre’s team to achieve high standards of performance, engagement and client service


• Overseeing the centre’s day-to-day operations and ensuring agreed business objectives are delivered


• Managing budgets, expenditure, payroll approvals and financial performance


• Maintaining strong relationships with clients, suppliers, contractors, regulators and other key stakeholders


• Championing a customer-focused approach and identifying opportunities to strengthen and grow the centre’s services


• Ensuring ongoing MPI compliance, including audits, registrations, documentation and import and export requirements


• Overseeing operational policies, systems, processes and internal quality audits


• Supporting projects, expansion activities and continuous improvement initiatives


• Ensuring the centre’s three properties are maintained to a high standard and agreed farm work programmes are completed


• Maintaining a strong focus on health and safety, training, capability and operational risk


• Providing practical laboratory, dispatch or farm support when required.

About You

You will be a confident and capable operational leader with strong commercial awareness and the ability to bring people, processes and priorities together. You will be comfortable taking ownership, making sound decisions and working across both strategic and practical areas of the business.

Experience within the veterinary, animal health, agricultural or farming sector would be an advantage, although we are equally interested in candidates with strong operational leadership experience from another relevant environment.

If you enjoy combining leadership, commercial responsibility and hands-on operational management, this is an exciting opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to a specialised rural business with strong foundations and future growth potential.

What We Can Offer You

• Long-service benefits


• CPD allowance and development opportunities


• Staff discounts on products and services


• Annual flu vaccinations


• Paid volunteer day


• Partner offers with Toyota, BNZ and PB Tech


• Access to Sonder, our employee care platform.

This is a full-time position based at the Tararua Breeding Centre in Woodville.

Please apply with your CV and cover letter.

A copy of the job description is available on request.

For more information, please contact:

Erin Wasley

HR Manager

[email protected]